How White House’s budget plan could affect English learners in Georgia K-12 schools

As Congress begins negotiating funding for the 2026 fiscal year, Georgia education advocates and lawmakers have raised concerns about a proposed federal budget that would slash education funding — cuts they say could have long-term consequences for the state’s growing population of English learners.

The budget proposal includes a $12 billion reduction to the Department of Education, eliminating hundreds of millions of dollars for English language acquisition programs and migrant funds that serve non-native speakers in K-12 schools and adult education settings.

If enacted, the changes would cut nearly $890 million from English language acquisition programs nationwide, which serve more than 5 million students. Georgia could lose about $20 million in Title III funding, which supports classroom materials, educator training and family engagement for students learning English, said Morgan Craven, national director of policy, advocacy and community engagement at the Intercultural Development Research Association.

“It’s extremely harmful to cut funding to Title III, which is the pot of federal money designated to go to public schools to serve English learners and migrant children,” Craven said.

The White House said the cuts aim to “end overreach from Washington and restore the rightful role of state oversight in education.”

The budget also calls for eliminating the ”misnamed” English Language Acquisition program, saying it “deemphasizes English primacy” since funds are also used to support bilingual education programs.

Twelve percent of English learners account for over 1.7 million students enrolled in Georgia schools, and the most latest state data shows that they have made overall important progress toward English proficiency in 2024.

U.S. Congressman Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.) called the cuts “detrimental and harmful” to communities in Middle and Southwest Georgia.

“The President signed an executive order making English the official language of the country, but then he cuts the funding to provide English language support for people who are coming into the country and who need assistance in speaking English,” Bishop told The Telegraph. “It’s like he’s undercutting his objective. Seems to me that we ought to be trying to enhance the transition for people who (don’t speak English proficiently), and to expand the number of people who do.”

How much Title III money do GA schools get?

For the 2022–2023 school year, Georgia received $17.3 million in Title III grants. Of that, $154,000 went to the Houston County School District, according to the latest Census Survey of School System and Finances data.

Houston County Schools enrolled 32,268 students in 2024. Nearly 6% were identified as English learners — the second-highest share in the Middle Georgia Regional Educational Service Agency, behind Peach County at 7.1%.

ESOL is the state-funded language instruction educational program for eligible English learners to meet academic standards and prepare for post-secondary careers. Elementary students receive small-group instruction based on their English proficiency levels. Middle and high school students are enrolled in courses taught by qualified ESOL teachers, according to the district’s website.

Craven said the proposed reductions would move the progress for English learners backward and place further strain on districts already grappling with tight budgets.

“Federal funding typically represents 10% or less of a sort of safe education budget. So cutting federal funding would not completely destroy any sort of programs that serve English learners, but it would be a really significant hit for an already vulnerable population of students,” she said.

How the cuts will impact Georgia schools

Georgia’s multilingual learners population grew by 200% over the past two decades, according to Georgia Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages.

Craven said that while Georgia provides some state-level funding for K-12 education, it does not fully account for the additional costs tied to English learners.

“The federal money is really important as a supplement to state and local funding to ensure that those students have access to a high-quality education program, which is a right that they have,” Craven said.

Without adequate English acquisition programs, Bishop said, students may struggle with basic communication and fall behind in school — hurting long-term civic and economic participation.

“The cuts will hinder their capacity to learn, read and understand, particularly in the lower grades, to get that basic foundation in English,” he added. “Usually when those kids get access to those community programs, their families can also gain proficiency in English. So, you’re talking about many effects.”

The Trump administration laid off nearly all staff for the U.S Department of Education’s Office of English Language Acquisition, which provides national resources to support English learners and immigrant students. The office helps distribute Title III funds, monitors student performance and issues guidance to schools on civil rights and family engagement, Craven said.

“When you get rid of the higher infrastructure that looks at schools and determines English learners’ needs, including the funding itself, it makes it much harder for schools to have what they need to support them,” she added.

‘The programs should not stop’

Craven emphasized that schools are legally required to provide English learners with equitable access to education.

“The programs should not stop because students are guaranteed the right to access education, and a school cannot sort of stop educating a child just because they speak a different language. That would be illegal and unconstitutional to do that, so the programs have to go on,” she said.

“If there is a school district that thinks, ‘Oh, well, now we can’t have any programs that serve English learners, that is wrong.’”

What’s next?

Education advocates are pushing back against the proposed federal cuts, hoping to influence the ongoing congressional budget process.

“There’s a really great opportunity right now for the advocacy community, teachers and families to really say, ‘This is what our programs look like in Georgia schools. This is what’s working for students, and this is what a lack of funding would mean,’” Craven said.

Craven said action is needed at every level — from urging local school districts to invest in English learner programs to pushing for stronger state funding and pipelines for bilingual educators. Federal advocacy is also crucial, she added, as structural changes threaten core support systems for English learners.

Fiscal year 2025 ends on Sept. 30, and Congress is still working through the budget process for FY 2026 which needs to be in place by October 1, Bishop said. While the president’s budget proposal is only the first step, Bishop said it outlines policy shifts.

Bishop noted the Trump administration’s push to consolidate 18 unnamed K-12 education programs into block grants, which he said would shift the burden of cuts to states.

“We’re just going to see a lot more pain than people really want to endure. So I’m just I’m very concerned about the direction. I’m very concerned about the President’s skinny budget, and even more concerned about what the big budget, the specific budget, will be when he chooses to offer it,” Bishop said.

This story was originally published May 20, 2025 at 3:23 PM.